Every analyst is now telling you they knew all along that Amazon was gonna pick a place on the East Coast for its HQ2. And they knew Amazon was going to split it up into two separate HQ’s2.
Tuesday, the mayor of Dallas broke the news, saying Amazon had a “fascination” with the East Coast because the East Coast thinks it’s better than you.
In actuality, New York was outraged [outraged!] about this decision:
Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) November 13, 2018
BREAKING: New York Democratic lawmaker @RonTKim moves to block Amazon deal with legislation to take $1.7 billion of taxpayer subsidies proposed for Jeff Bezos and redirect them into reducing New Yorkers’ student debt https://t.co/9zOqOTjbaX
— David Sirota (@davidsirota) November 13, 2018
Mike Rawlings and the Dallas Regional Chamber say Amazon leadership came through town earlier this year. They showed off sites near downtown, near the old Dallas Morning News building and south of City Hall.
He offered a very detailed analysis of the incentives Dallas was offering, totaling $600 million. New York and Virginia were offering $1.5 billion. Nashville also chipped in some money, so I think we’re down to HQ5.
If we’re setting up operations in cities across the country and calling them all “headquarters,” listen, American communities, I’ll set up a headquarters in your town for half what Amazon is charging:
— Dallas offered to pay for another deck park over I-30 for the site near City Hall, in the Cedars neighborhood. The Cedars already has quite a few bars within walking distance of each other, so ScaiaQ2 would not require easy access to downtown. ScaiaQ2 can just hang out there.
— The incentives included $1.5 million for transit options like pedicabs to help employees get around town. I’m not British, so I probably would decline a ride in a “pedicab.”
— Dallas offered $25 million for a corporate hangar at Dallas Executive Airport. I don’t like to fly.
— The Dallas Zoo, Fair Park and Trinity Forest Golf Club offered free event space, totaling $1 million. I am not a golfer, but I do enjoy a corny dog and looking at giraffes, so let’s say just $667,000 for corny dogs and, I’m willing to negotiate here, instead of event space at the zoo, I just show up once a month to ride a giraffe.
In exchange, I wouldn’t, technically, employ anyone, but I would pledge to buy breakfast pizza at that QuikTrip by the radio station, which is inside Dallas city limits, instead of stopping at the one in Grand Prairie on my way in to ScaiaQ2.
In conclusion, this wouldn’t seal the deal for Dallas. I probably would not move from Fort Worth [Fort Worth also has quite a few bars within walking distance], but I understand Dallas wasn’t expecting Jeff Bezos to show up, either. For just $300 million, I’ll set up HQ37 in Dallas and also choke back my outrage.
